Optic Glioma, Optic Pathway Glioma

Synonyms

Optic nerve glioma

Definition

Optic gliomas and optic pathway gliomas are most frequently diagnosed in children and adolescents and twice as frequently in girls. Tumors are generally benign but can sometimes become malignant. These types of tumors may occur in any or all of the following areas: optic nerve, optic chiasm, optic tract, hypothalamus, or within the orbit. Cases in which tumor growth is restricted to the optic nerve occur almost exclusively in the context of Neurofibromatosis type I. Symptoms and signs of optic gliomas and optic pathway gliomas manifest as changes in visual functioning, such as visual loss, strabismus, nystagmus, papilledema, homonymous, or heteronymous hemianopsia, or symptoms of hypothalamic dysfunction depending on the regions involved (Figs. 1 and 2).

Fig. 1

Courtesy Jean Belasco, Michael Fisher, Beverly Lange, Jane Minturn, and Peter Phillips